The present invention relates to a heat exchanger which is intended to cool a fluid when a compressed refrigerant is evaporated.
Heat exchangers intended for this application have long consisted of tube and shell evaporators. A heat exchanger of this type, which is described e.g. in the German published application 22 57 427, consists of a bundle of tubes with horizontally arranged coaxial tubes surrounded by a shell. The inner of the two coaxial tubes constitutes the inlet tube for the refrigerant to be evaporated. The evaporated refrigerant is led back through the outer tubes and out from the heat exchanger, while the media which is to be cooled flows in the space between the bundle of tubes and the shell.
In French Pat. No. 929 204, there is shown an evaporator with horizontal tubes. These are connected at their lower ends to a distributing chamber and at their upper ends to a collection chamber for evaporated gas. The distributing chamber, the evaporating tubes, and the collection chamber are surrounded by a container through which the liquid which is to be cooled flows.